Increasing amounts of energy are being consumed everyday while energy costs continue to skyrocket. Recent emphasis on convenience and safety can be attributed to some of the demand for increased energy. For example, vending machines are routinely placed on street corners, in public buildings and near gas stations to conveniently offer their wares anytime of day. Banks now provide access to their services to customers 24 hours a day through Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). ATMs are well lit to draw attention to their location however it is also important that these ATMs be well lit for safety. Many of these devices are lit with fluorescent lights. Fluorescent lights are also increasingly being used in industrial settings and in the home. Fluorescent lamps use a considerable amount of energy and produce a lot of heat. Further, when these lamps are provided with too much current, light output weakens and becomes irregular. Many circuits have been designed in an attempt to drive fluorescent lamps and cold cathode fluorescent lamps more efficiently (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,495,405; 5,854,543; 5,930,121; 5,959,412; 6,118,221; and U.S. patent application Publication No. US 2004-0056610 A1). Cold cathode tubes and external electrode fluorescent lamps consume less energy and are more efficient and reliable. Replacing fluorescent lamps with cold cathode tubes or external electrode fluorescent lamps that are driven by an energy efficient circuit would reduce overall energy consumption and save considerable money for many consumers.
All patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications and publications referred to or cited herein, are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the explicit teachings of the specification.